Kitchen update

Ann Duncan came to Hank Matheny of Haskell Interiors with an unusual twist on her kitchen remodel.

She wanted to update the galley-style kitchen of her stately Greek revival home in Cleveland, Tenn. However, the state-of-the-art appliances she wanted had to blend with the home’s 1950s aesthetic.

“There were three purposes to this remodel,” said Matheny, a member of the American Society of Interior Designers and a certified aging-in-place specialist. He was assisted by designer Sheila Stubbs.

“They were to update the kitchen with current materials, make the new design blend with the remainder of the house and organize this galley kitchen for more space,” he said.

Duncan and her husband, the late Dr. Eddie Duncan, purchased the Cleveland landmark 20 years ago from Anne and Skeet Rymer Jr. The Duncans decorated their home together, filling it with Staffordshire, Majolica and other collectibles as well as period furnishings.

Duncan said she installed an oak floor in the kitchen, but other than that the room remained as it had been when built in the 1950s — down to the Formica counters and metal cabinets in the adjoining laundry room.

Here are eight easy tips Matheny said he incorporated to make the new room blend with old and seem twice as large in the process.

1. Omit the soffit. Take cabinets to the ceiling, said Matheny. “That’s 12 to 15 inches of space all the way around the room not being used. Use that space.”

2. Improve/update lighting. Matheny removed long panels of fluorescent lighting and replaced them with a row of recessed lights in a solid ceiling. Undercabinet lighting brightened counterspaces for work. The improved lighting gives the room a lighter, airy feeling.

3. Choose a color palette that blends tones, almost a monochromatic look, for the illusion of more space.

The blue floral wallpaper of the Rymers’ kitchen was replaced with a golden parchment paper glaze on walls, which complemented the Downsview cabinetry done in a pale yellow strie glaze.

A coordinating backsplash was custom-designed from carved ceramic tile and glass beads.

“We wanted to keep it quiet, calm and sophisticated,” Matheny said. “From the backsplash to the walls to the cabinets, they are all the same color family, but we did something interesting with the texture. Walls have one texture, the cabinets have the strie and the tile has interesting carving.”

4. Declutter. The Verde butterfly granite counters are clean and open. Grandchildren’s artwork and family photos were moved from the refrigerator to a location inside a walk-in pantry.

5. Consider placement of appliances. “If you conceal your appliances, it makes the room seem less busy; the eye will focus more on the tile or neat accessories than jump around the room from appliance to appliance,” said Matheny.

Duncan said her kitchen’s ovens were side-by-side, using needed storage space. Her new Bosch oven and convection oven are stacked one above the other.

“The ovens were a big thing. It was important to find something retro; here, the black knobs make it look retro,” said Matheny.

“This is not a kitchen where the appliances are stars of the show,” said Matheny. “We wanted them built in to look like a piece of furniture.” The subzero refrigerator is built into the wall, a microwave is built into the bottom of a cabinet, the dishwasher is paneled to match the cabinets.

6. Break up a line of cabinets. Matheny added two wine racks and a wine refrigerator. The cabinetry around the stainless sink slightly projects into the room.

7. Add glass fronts to cabinetry to give an illusion of space. This homeowner was adamant that she didn’t want contents of her cabinets visible to guests. She suggested incorporating an antique reproduction mirror she had discovered. The mirror is de-silvered, a process that involves using acid to remove the mirror’s silver, which gives it a vintage feel. Reflections in the mirror seem to double space.

8. Blend new decor by incorporating architectural elements already in the home.

Matheny chose dentil molding in the kitchen renovation to match ceiling molding in the adjoining rooms. Patio columns viewed from the kitchen window are reflected in the fluted column trimwork of the cabinetry.

“The key was to make the new kitchen look like it belonged to the rest of the house,” said Matheny. “The new look is timeless. I think the best compliment I get is when people think this is the original kitchen.”